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R. DRAKE.

HATTERS TANK.

Patented June 19, 1883.

M 76% M I u, PETERS "mm-Lithographer. Washingmn. n. c.

UNiTED STAT-Es PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT DRAKE, OF NElVARK, NEV JERSEY.

HATTERS TAN K SPECIFICATION forming part of LettersiPatent No. 279,547,dated June 19, 1883. Application filed January 24, 1893. (Nw model.)

T 0 aZZ whom it may concern:

Be. it known that 1, ROBERT DRAKE, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city of Newark, in the county of Essex and State of NewJersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in HattersTanks, fully described and represented in the following specificationand the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the same.

This invention. relates to such tanksof hot water as are used in hatmanufacture for dipping or soaking the hat-bodies at intervals duringthe sizing, scalding, shrinking, and analogous operations, and may beapplied to the same when combined with rolling and .pressing devices, asin many feltinganachines.

or when used apart from such mechanism in op erating upon the bodies byhand-labor. lnthe latter case the tank is often called a kettle, andwhen designed for a number of operators is provided with ashelf or aplank around its edges, and is termed a battery. The steam rising fromsuch tanks, whether combined with mechanism for felting or not is agreat annoyance to the workmen, and has been removed with partialsuccess heretofore by hoods of different kinds resembling funnelsinverted over the tanks.

To afford access to the water in'thc tank, a considerable space hasheretofore been left between the upper edge of the kettle and the coneor funnel placed over it, and more or less of the vapor has thus madeits escape from the surface of the hot water.

My invention enables me to utilize the hot vapor rising from the waterin a sizing-tank in a new and advantageous manner; and it consists,first, in forming a steam-chamber over the hot water; secondly, ininclosing the side or sides, where access is required, by a cloth orequivalent covering; thirdly, in provi ding a shelf inside the chamberinthe vapor of the steam; and, fourthly, in exposing the hat-bodies tothe vapor in such stea1nchamber before or during the manipulations ofthe workman.

The nature of the invention will be under stood from the annexeddrawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan of a battery provided with myinclosed steam-chan'iber, a part of its covering being broken away toshow the shelves inside. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same with thetank and its side planks in section, and Fig. I} is a transverse sectionof a tank having teltingrollers mounted thereon. Such felting-rollersarein practice connected with gearing and are operated by treadlc andvarious other attachments; but nothing besides the rollers and theirsupports is shown herein, as such features are greatly modified indifferent machines, and form no part of this invention.

In all the figures, A is the tank, filled to a certain level with water,as to line in, and B is the plank on whichthe operator rolls and foldsthe hats in operating upon them. C is the steam-chamber, in which thehat-bodies may, if desired, be steamed before or during the otheroperations of the workman. I) is a shelf supported inside the chamber,adjacent to the cloth or curtain E, by which access is gained to theinterior of the chamber.

In Fig. 3 the cloth is shown hung over an opening at the front end ofthe chamber, where the operator stands in front of the feltingrollers FF; but in Figs. 1 and 2 the plank is shown formed on six sides of thetank, and as the mcate the felts laid thereon and to allowthe 1 watertherein to return freely to the tank.

In Fig. 2. the central curtain is entirely removed to show the locationof the shelf and the converging partitions G, while the curtain at theleft side is partially pushed in, as when the operator insertsahat-bodyin the waterin the tank.

In Fig. 3 a roll of hat-felts is shown at a upon the shelf D, and theoperator would require to lift up the pendent curtain E to remove itwhen wanted.

In Fig. 2 the usual steam-coil, b, and feed pipe and cock 0 are shown,and the same device is employed in heating the water in the tank in Fig.3, by which means the water is kept at a boiling-temperature whenrequired.

By the application of my inclosed chamber to the tank the vapor isconfined and retains a higher temperature than when allowed to escapefreely; but some outlet is needed for the surplus, and is shown at H inthe three figures, Fig. 2showing the pipe connected with a self-turningventilatingwheel, I, by which an upward current is maintained. In thesame figure a damper, J, is shown inserted in the pipe, by which thevapors can be retained at pleasure and a higher temperature sustained byaccumulating a slight pressure.

The operation of my device is as follows: lVhen using the shelf D forsteaming the hat bodies the workman places a suitable number of thebodies upon the shelf and lowers the curtain to confine the hot vapor incontact with the bodies until they are rendered warm and mellow. He thentakes a part of such bodies and folds or rolls them up, and subjectsthem to the operations necessary to scald, shrink, or size them, as thecase may be. \Vhen ready to be crozed or changed he places them again onthe shelf, and lets them warm again while performing the same operationupon another batch already steamed. He then returns the latter lot tothe steam-chamber, while he proceeds farther with the first lot, andthus alternates the steaming and the other required op erations untilthe desired result is secured. The advantages of such steaming beforeand during most of operations of bat manufacture are already well'known,but have heretofore been secured, chiefly, by steanrboxes and cas ingsapart froiuthe water-tanks used as described herein. My inventiontherefore consists partly in applying the cover to the tank to preventthe offensive escape of vapor, and partly in utilizing such vapor tosteam the bodies while using the tank for the other purposes heretoforeknown and practiced. When applying the cover to the tank independent ofthe shelves D the' curtains E serve to afford access merely to the waterin the tank for dipping the bodies therein; but when the shelves arecombined with the chamber C the curtain serves a double function, andaffords access both to the water in the tank and the shelf in thechamber. The water also serves a double function not heretofore secured,and which obviates waste of heat and greatly facilitates the performanceof the operators work, when it serves to wet the felts, when required,and also to furnish steam for the hot chamber above it.

Having thus described my invention, I claim the same as follows,reserving any novel subject-matter not claimed herein to be claimed inother patent applications:

1. The combination, withabattery-tank and its surrounding plank B, of acover or steam chamber 0, provided with openings closed by curtains E ortheir equivalent, and having an outlet-pipe, H, arranged and operated tocarry off the vapor, substantially as shown and described.

2. The combination, with a tank used for dipping hatbodies, of asteam-chamber provided with supports for hat-bodies, and receiving hotvapor from the water in the tank,and an; opening closed by a'curtain,E,or its equivlent, substantially as shown and described.

8. The combination, with the steam-chamber receiving its hot vapor froma tank used for dipping hat-bodies, of an outlet-pipe, H, provided witha damper, J, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. The combination, with the tank for dipping hat-bodies, of thesteam-chamber 0, arranged and operated as described, the outletpipe H,and the self-turning ventilator l, operatedsubstantially as herein setforth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

ROBT. DRAKE.

\Vitnesses THos. S. CRANE, W. T. D. CRANE.

